Apparatus for severing glass rod and tubing



June 14, 1938. c BROWN ET AL 2,120,853

APPARATUS FOR SEVERING GLASS ROD AND TUBING Filed July 29, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventors: Carl ABrown, I Glarence E. Hahn, gt y W 5, J

Thaw- Attorney.

June 14, 1938. I c. A. BROWN ET AL .,M

APPARATUS FOR SEVERINCT GLASS ROD AND TUBING Filed July 29, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 14, 1938.

C. A. BROWN ET AL APPARATUS FOR SEVERING GLASS ROD AND TUBING Filed July 29, 1956 w 50 fig H /0/ (94 I W -92 29 82 mo 85 I04 80 l/ 47 4a 57 4 l8 3- Sheets-Sheet 5 Inventors;

I Car! A. Bvowm Clarence EH ahn, {a 1 by 77/ ,QWM/QLMM Thar Attorneg.

Patented June 14, 1938 UNITED STATES APPARATUS FOR SEVERING GLASS ROD AND TUBING Carl A. Brown, Chardon, and Clarence E. Hahn, Cleveland, Ohio, assignors to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application July 29, 1936, Serial No. 93,238

'1 Claims.

Our invention relates to apparatus for severing vitreous tubing or rod and more particularly to apparatus adapted for use in connection with apparatus. for carrying out the method disclosed in Danner Patent 1,218,598 of March 6, 1917, to sever the tubing or rod as it is drawn at a high rate of speed and while it is in a heated condition.

One type of severing apparatus is disclosed in Hahn Patent 1,990,375 of February 5, 1935, and comprises a cutter which is moved intermittently in a vertical plane to contact the tubing or rod. Owing to the construction of the cutter and to the direction of its movement, that apparatus has the objection that moisture is thrown at times upon the tubing or rod. Our apparatus obviates that objection by reason of the fact that the movement of the cutter is in a horizontal rather than a vertical plane, and also on account of the provision of improved moistening means. In another type of apparatus the cutting mechanism is supported by an endless belt, such as disclosed in application Serial No. 731,662, filed June 21, 1934, Brown et al., and is open to the objection that there is a tendency of the cutting mechanism to vibrate and get out of alignment.

Our apparatus obviates this by providing a stationary endless track for supporting the cutting mechanism at all times. Other features and advantages of our invention will be apparent from the detailed description which follows of one species thereof and from the accompanying drawmgs.

In the drawings, Figs. 1 and 2 are top and side views of the vitreous tubing or rod severing apparatus of our invention; Fig. 3 is a vertical section therethrough; Figs. 4 and 5 are top and side views of cutting mechanism; Fig. 6 is a section through said mechanism along line 6-6 of Fig. 4; Fig. 7 is a plan view of the carriage of said mechanism; Fig. 8 is a perspective view ofv in manufacturing the vitreous tubing or rod. The

vitreous tubing passes onto the rest l2 of our apparatus and slides longitudinally along the rail 3 thereof. The rest I2 is supported through bracket H and the springs l5 and I6 which are only partially shown and which permit a limited movement of the rest so as to reduce the shock of the contact of the cutting mechanism with the vitreous tubing While sliding along the rest l2, the glass tubing is engaged by one of two cutting mechanisms H which are moved into position above said tubing II and while traveling at the same speed are brought into engagement therewith. The cutting mechanisms I 1 are supported by the track I8 which has one portion paralleling the rest l2 and which, as shown in Fig. 3, is mounted on the outwardly extending flanges of posts l9 and 28. The posts l9 and 20 are stationary members and are supported through the gears 2| and 22 respectively which are threaded thereonto and which are turned by mechanism (not shown) to raise or lower the track l8. Gear 2| rests onthe cover plate 23 of the housing 24 which is mounted on the bed plate 25. Gear 22 rests on the bracket 26 which is mounted on the bed plate 25. The posts l9 and 28 are held in position by the sleeves 21 and 28 respectively which are attached to the cover plate 23 and the bracket 26 respectively.

The track 8, as shown in detail in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, is U shaped and has grooves 29 and 30 in the vertical portions thereof into which the rollers 3|, 32, 33 and 34 of each of the cutting mechanisms |1 fit. These rollers support the entire cutting mechanism l1 and, as shown in Fig. 7, are part of a carriage 35 which consists of the two plates 36 and 31, the arms 38 and 39 and the bracket 48. Rollers 3| and 32 are mounted on pins 4| and 42 respectively which extend between the arms of plates 36 and 31, and rollers 33 and 34 are mounted on the pins 43 and 44 respectively of arms 38 and 39 respectively. As shown in Fig. 5, each roller is provided with a pair of ball bearings 45 and 46. As shown in Fig. 6, the plates 36 and 31 are fastened together by bolts 41, 48 and 49, the latter of which also extends through an end of the arms 38 and 39 which engage said bolt 49 through ball bearings 58, 5|, 52 and 53. The rollers 3|, 32, 33 and 34 are pressed outwardly into the grooves 29 and 30 in the track |8 by pairs of springs 54 located largely in wells in the blocks 55, said springs being mounted between the arms of the plates 36 and 31 and pressing against the ends of arms 38 and 39. The hinged arms 38 and 39 permit the rollers 33 and 34 to move in and out so that the carriage can negotiate the curved portions of the track Ill.

The carriages 35 are moved in the track I8 by the chain 56 which is connected to each by a link 51 and an arm 58 and are caused to travel at the same speed as the vitreous tubing so that the cutting mechanisms |1 carried thereby are held over one point on the tubing II when aligned therewith. The link 51 engages the carriage 35 through the ball bearings 59 and 60 and bolt 48 and is attached through a swivel connection to arm 58. The arm 58 is bolted to plates which are engaged through ball bearings I8 and II respectively. The sprocket is the idler and is supported through its hub 81 and the shaft I2 which are supported by the ball bearings I3 and I4 respectively. The ball bearings I3 and I4 are mounted in the housing I5 which has wings I8 (Fig. '1) extending from opposite sides thereof which rest in ways in the flared upper portion of post 28. The tightness of the chain 58 is adjusted by turning bolt 11 which moves the housing I5, the wings I8 of which slide in the ways of post 28. The end of shaft 12 is protected by the housing I8 which is fastened to bracket 28.

The cutting mechanisms H are connected to the chain 58 at points directly opposite each other and are actuated by stationary cam surfaces mounted adjacent their path of travel. Each cutting mechanism engages the glass tubing II through aknife 88, shown in Fig. 6, which is permanently set in a block 8I attached to lever 82 and which may be of metal such as the cemented tungsten carbide known as carboloy. The block 8| is held in a close fitting groove in lever 82 to which it is secured by screw 83. The lever 82 is mounted on pin 88 which is pivoted in the slide 85 and is moved so as to lift the knife 88 by engagement of the roller 88 thereon with the cam 81. The'cam 81, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, is located adjacent the right hand sprocket 85 and increases in thickness at the beginning so that the knife 88 is lifted above the glass tubing II as it moves into position thereabove. The cam 81 is attached to the bracket 88 which is mounted on the flanged portion of post 28. Upon passing to a position over the glass tubing II, the knife 88 is gradually allowed to drop thereon as the roller 88 passes onto the upwardly sloping cam 88. As shown in Figs. 1 and 8, cam 88 is pivoted at one end to cam 81 and is adjustably mounted at the other end to bracket 88 by the pin 88, the block 8| and the screw 82. The position of the cam 88 is changed by turning screw 82 in or out of bracket 88. The adjustable feature of the cam 88 allows the knife 88 to be dropped onto the glass tubing II at any point therealong regardless of the size of said tubing I I. The knife 88 is pressed against the glass tubing II by the spring 83 which is largely located in a well in lever 82 and which engages the U-shaped portion 88 of the slide 85 which extends over the lever 82. The slide 85 is provided with V grooves down both sides which provide raceways for the balls 85 which also engage the V groove raceways of bars 88v and 81. The bars 88 and 81 lie in the carriage bracket 88 and are pressed inwardly so as to hold the slide 85, the balls 85 and the bars 88 and 8'! in a unit by the screws 88 threaded in bracket 88. The balls 85are prevented from rolling out of the V grooves by studs at both ends of said grooves in bars 88 and 81.

Even before the knife 88 contacts the glass tubing II, it begins to travel sideward toward the center of the apparatus in a scoring movement. This movement is caused by another stationary cam 88 which is fastened to the inside of the track I8 and is engaged by the roller I88 on the slide 85. The roller I88 is attached by means of pin III to the slide 85 which is moved on the bearing provided by the balls 85. The spring I82 located in the well'of bracket 88 engages the enlarged part of the guide rod I83 which is fastened to the slide 85 and keeps the slide 85 to one side and the roller I88 against the cam 88.

The cutting action of the knife 88 is aided by the chilled and dampened condition thereof which results in the glass tubing II either breaking all the way through or being partially broken through and under strains so that it breaks off when pressure is applied to the end of the tubing. The knife 88 is chilled by the circulation of a refrigerant, preferably cold water, through the passage I84 .in the lever 82. The water passes to and from lever 82 through the nipples I85 and I88 which are, as shown in Fig. 3, connected by flexible hose I" to a post I88 located midway between the sprockets 84 and 85. The post I88 is surmounted by a block I88 with passages H8 and III therein to which the hose I81 is indirectly connected and is mounted on pipes H2 and H3 (pipe II3 surrounds the former). The refrigerant passes into the passage I I8 from pipe II2 through a hole in the side wall thereof and is conducted to the pipe II2 through a passage Ill in the shaft H5 and the bracket H6. The refrigerant passes from passage III into the end of pipe II3 directly and flows through said pipe H3 and the opening about pipe H2 in shaft II5 to passage II! in the shaft H5 and bracket II8. Passages III and IIlare connected to the supply and drain respectively of the refrigerant. In order to keep the hose I8'I directed toward the cutting mechengages the sprocket center 88 through the splined portion thereof which fits into a similarly shaped hole therein. The shaft II8 turns in the ball bearings I25 and I28 carried by bracket H8 and the shaft I22 turns in the ball bearings I21 and I28 held by the bed plate 25.

The knife 88 is dampened by the mechanism I38 (Fig. 1) located on the opposite side of the apparatus from the rest I2 and which is shown in detail in Figs. 9 and 10. The edge of the knife 88 contacts the roll I3I and transfers to it only suiflcient moisture for the cutting operation. The roll I3I is moistened from a second roll I32 which is located in a pool of water held by the container I33 and which is rotated to carry some of said water onto the surface of roll I3I. The roll I3I is made preferably of rubber and is pressed tight against roll I32 so that it is ro-.

tated therewith and the excess water is squeezed therefrom. Roll I3I is mounted in the container I33 by means duplicated at both ends which con sists of the washer I38 having a boss extending ried by the container I33. The roll I32 is rotated at such speed as to make the peripheral speed of roller I3I the same as the speed of movement of the knife 80 by means (not shown) operating through bevel gears HI and I42 and shaft I43. The gears MI and I42 are enclosed in the housing I45 which is attached to the container I33 and engages the shaft I43 through ball bearings I46 and I41. The collar I48 is fastened to shaft I43 and holds it in place. The container I 33 holds all of the mechanism and is itself attached to the machine by bracket I49 which is bolted to the track I8 and to a bracket I50. Bracket I50 is attached to the posts I9 and 20 and tends to hold them in a more substantial unit. The container I33 engages bracket I50 through a tongue and groove joint (Fig. 9) and is held in the desired position thereon by the gear I5I which is located in a pocket (not shown) therein. The gear I5I is screwed on the rod I52 which is fastened to the bracket I49 and is turned so as to move up or down on the rod I52 to change the position of the container I33 by gear I53. The gear I53 is attached to rod I54 and is turned manually through engagement with knob I55. The water is conducted to the container I33 through pipe I56 and passes out the overflow pipe I51.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. Apparatus for severing heated vitreous tubing or rod traveling longitudinally at a uniform rate comprising an endless track having a portion adjacent the path of movement of the tubing or rod, a knife mounted on said track, means for moving the knife along the track so that it is carried into operative relation to the tubing or rod and moves along therewith for an interval and means for moving the knife into engagement with the tubing or rod and transversely to the path of travel thereof during said interval to score it.

2. Apparatus for severing heated vitreous tubing or rod traveling longitudinally at a uniform rate comprising an endless track having a portion adjacent the path of movement of the tubing or rod and having a groove adjacent one edge thereof, a carriage mounted on said track and engaging said groove, a knife mounted on said carriage, means for moving the carriage along the track so that the knife is brought into operative relation to the tubing or rod and moves along therewith for an interval and means for moving the knife into engagement with the tubing or rod and transversely to the path of travel thereof during said interval to score it.

3. Apparatus for severing heated vitreous tubing or rod traveling longitudinally at a uniform rate comprising an endless track having a portion adjacent the path of movement of the tubing or rod and having a plurality of parallel grooves adjacent one edge thereof, a plurality of rollers engaging said grooves of the track, a carriage mounted on the rollers and completely supported thereby, a knife mounted on the carriage, means for moving the carriage along the track so that the knife is brought into operative relation to the tubing or rod and moves along therewith for an interval and means for moving the knife into engagement with the tubing or rod and transversely to the path of travel thereof during said interval to score it. i

4. Apparatus for severing heated vitreous tubing or rod traveling longitudinally at a uniform rate comprising an endless track having a portion adjacent the path of movement of the tubing or rod and being contained in a substantially horizontal plane, a knife mounted on said track,

means located adjacent the track for dampening the knife, means for moving the knife along the track so that it is carried into engagement with said dampening means and is also moved into position above and travels with the tubing or rod and means for moving said knife into engagement with the tubing or rod so that it is at least partially severed.

5. Apparatus for severing heated vitreous tubing or rod traveling longitudinally at a uniform rate comprising an endless track having a portion adjacent the path of movement of the tubing or rod and being contained in a substantially horizontal plane, a knife mounted on said track, means located adjacent the track for dampening the knife comprising a roll, a second roll mounted against the first roll and located in a pool of water. means for turning said rolls so that the second roll carries the water onto the first roll and whatever passes therebetween is retained by the first roll, means for moving the knife along the track so that it is carried into engagement with the first roll of the dampening means and is also moved into position above and travels with the tubing or rod and means for moving said knife into engagement with the tubing or rod so that it is at least partially severed.

6. Apparatus for severing heated vitreous tubing or rod traveling longitudinally at a uniform rate comprising an endless track having a portion adjacent the path of movement of the tubing or rod and having a plurality of parallel grooves adjacent one edge thereof, a plurality of cutting mechanisms mounted on the track each comprising a plurality of rollers engaging the grooves in the track, a carriage mounted on the rollers and completely supported thereby and a knife mounted on the carriage, means located adjacent the track for dampening the knives, an endless chain mounted adjacent the track, means for connecting the carriages to said chain, means for moving the chain so that the carriages are moved along the track and the knives are brought in turn into engagement with the dampening means and are also brought into operative relation to the tubing or rod and are moved along therewith for an interval, and means for moving the knives into engagement with the tubing or rod and transversely to the path of travel thereof during said interval to score it.

7. Apparatus for severing heated vitreous tubing or rod traveling longitudinally comprising an endless track having a portion adjacent the path of movement of the tubing or rod and located in a substantially horizontal plane, a carriage mounted on said track, an arm movably mounted on said carriage and carrying a knife thereon, means for moving said carriage along said track to bring the said knife into position above said tubing or rod and travel therewith for an interval, and an adjustable cam track mounted adjacent to the path of movement of said arm for engaging said arm and causing the knife thereon to be moved downward against said tubing or rod at a predetermined point thereon so that said tubing or rod is at least partially severed.

CARL A. BROWN. CLARENCE E. HAHN. 

